The Energy Sector and Energy Geopolitics in the Mena Region at a Crossroad: Towards a Great Transformation?

This open access book offers a holistic and interdisciplinary analysis of the energy sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and its ongoing transformation. Taking into account global decarbonization policies, it offers a comprehensive overview of the transition’s effects in the region highlighting socioeconomic, geopolitical and cultural aspects.

The book is divided into four parts, the first of which illustrates the historical, cultural and socioeconomic heterogeneity of the MENA region. The second part assesses the region’s energy sector, with a special focus on the energy mix and consumption evolution at the national level. The third part addresses the geopolitics and geoeconomics of the energy sector in MENA countries, including foreign interference, conflicts, investments and partnerships both related to hydrocarbons and energy transition. Lastly, the fourth part provides overall conclusions and key takeaways on all major aspects addressed by the book, highlighting various paths and strategies for decarbonization in the region.

Manfred Hafner is Professor of International Energy Studies (Economics and Geopolitics of Energy) teaching at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS Europe), Bologna, Italy, and at the Sciences Po Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA), Paris, France. He also owns, and is CEO of, HEAS AG, Zug, Switzerland, an international energy strategy consultancy firm. In the course of his over 30-year career, he has extensively consulted for governments, international organizations and the energy industry all over the world.

Pier Paolo Raimondi is a researcher in the ＂Energy, Climate and Resources＂ programme of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), Rome, Italy, and a PhD candidate at the Catholic University, Milan, Italy. His research focuses on energy markets, geopolitics and geoeconomics in various geographical areas, mainly MENA, Europe and Africa.

Benedetta Bonometti works in the Commercial Negotiations Department in Eni, Milan, Italy. Her main research interests relate to energy (fossil fuels, renewable energy and energy transition policies), socioeconomic development and governance in the Middle East